/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25832181/1448234057.jpg "Drake withdraws accusation that UMG and Spotify illegally boosted Kendrick Lamar’s diss track")
Stop what you’re doing and listen up – ’s annual ranking of the planet’s best cities is officially out for 2025, and we can now reveal which one is sitting on top of the world.
For this year’s list, more than 18,500 locals told us what they thought of their city, from its food and nightlife to its safety and livability. We combined their insights with those of our global network of city editors, and after crunching all that data, we were able to rank the 50 best cities on the planet right now.
But which city claimed the top spot? Was it London, New York, Melbourne, or Bangkok? No (although these cities all made it to the top five). It was, in fact, Cape Town.
The glorious South African hub scored highly across the board in our survey, with 97 percent of locals saying their city makes them happy, 95 percent giving its food scene a high rating and 82 percent describing it as beautiful – not bad going, right?
It’s also got everything from fantastic nature (colonies of African penguins, Blue Flag beaches, Table Mountain) and top-tier city musts (brilliant bars, restaurants, and a Market, of course).
‘Steeped in history and cultural significance, Cape Town provides visitors with a plethora of options to learn, explore, and have fun, all without breaking the bank. Immerse yourself in the fishing culture of the city in trendy Kalk Bay, head to East City for a dose of Capetonian food and design, or be one with the natural world at the majestic Cape Point Nature Reserve,’ wrote Andrew Hallett, South Africa’s content director.
Clearly Cape Town’s got it all goin’ on, but so do 49 other cities from across the planet – read more about them in the official ranking here.
Did you see that the moon is set to get its first piece of art this week?
Plus: These are the world’s ‘most incredible’ train journeys to take this year.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news and best stuff happening across the world.
